Surprise! People who think they are smarter than everyone else enjoy coming up with excuses for and more acceptable ways to tell those other dummies why they are right and should be listened to (All praise Nate for the intellectual courage of posting someone else's work! Yeah, it is such hard work e-mailing someone and asking permission to do that, after all. You should probably be thanking Heather since it was probably her who had to do all the typing. Hail Omans! May your name long be honored on the Bloggernacle!).

Mauss' essay is an important reminder to all of the Nacle's fault-finding smarties need to accept that being ark steadiers will result in people scorning them and not giving them callings, because that is what happens when you are smarter than everyone else, right? The ignornant masses spurn you because of your brilliance. Ah, but it is all futile anyway, because the very premise of the LDS Church is they are authoritative in all things all the time and failing to recognize that undermines the very core of the Church!

For people who are supposed to be so smart, they sure don't get this whole gospel thing, the whole Sermon on the Mount, walk in Jesus' footsteps like a disciple, do they? Nah, that is too hard. Why actually do stuff when you can just talk about it and argue about who is right and knows more about what you are supposed to do, than actually do it? That thing Jesus said about learning the doctrine by actually doing the Father's will, I guess a PhD or JD exempt these guys from that since they are smarter than everyone else.

But, hey, you know, credit to Mauss for encouraging the intellectuals in his Dissenter's Decalogue to actually turn the other cheek (D4D #4) so the dummies will accept you when you condescend to their level (D4D #6), try to "pay your 'dues'" by keeping the commandments (D4D #5), and "endure to the end" by not wavering in the face of unrighteous dominators who reject your brilliant preeminence (D4D #10). Nothing like trying to frame Christ's teachings into the context of academe.

"Why actually do stuff when you can just talk about it and argue about who is right and knows more about what you are supposed to do, than actually do it?"

Why actually try to engage in the discussion when you can just stand on your hypocritical holier than thou anonymous pulpit, preaching about being a disciple of Christ while telling everybody else they are jerks, especially those evil Omans who are clearly trying to take over the wolrd? Yeah, that works, too.

Snarker! Get a dictionary. It should be "whose comments" not "who's comments." You would look much smarter and have so much more credibility if you could just....oh, who am I kidding? Such a lost cause.

Believe me, I have no desire to submit anything - I would never want to compete with you in a contest over who can be more mean spirited. Wow, for a bunch of anonymous folks who like to dish it out and tear down everyone and everything, you sure can't take it. Must be tiresome to constantly be on the attack, huh?

Joan & Sue, thanks for being such good examples of charity and love. If we can only follow your lead from now on, we will be less bitter, like you two, and less critical, like you two, and we will complain less, like you two.

Then again, maybe we won't. Is that apostrophe used correctly Joan? Please advise.

Snarker, you are soo right. Nate's behavior is absolutely outrageous. What an arrogant hypocrit. I am sure that he is the sort of person Christ would have driven from the temple, or at the very least have labeled for the spawn of Satan that he is. I for one have grown tired of the Omans and their constant drive for celebrity and power. Whatever happened to the meek shall inherit the earth?! Maybe this makes me bitter, but frankly I AM bitter about being FORCED to constantly read Nate or Heather. It is like they are constantly forcing their way into MY living room and demanding that I pay homage to them. Well maybe some bloggernacle citizens are willing to lie down under the yoke of their smarter than thou oppression but I am glad that the Snarker has the courage to call the Omans on their unrighteous dominion. We have learned by sad experience that it is the disposition of men etc. etc. I think that basiclly describes the Omans and the rest of the so-called intellectuals at Times and Seasons.

As for those who accuse the Snarker of cowardice or hypocrisy, let hime who is without sin cast the first stone. You Snarker haters are so pathetic. One voice tries to speak up and do what is right and all you harpies can do is complain, complain, complain... Well just remember what happened to Laman and Lemuel. No wonder your inner Liahonas have stopped working to the point where you lose grasp of the iron rod and worship the Great and Spacious Building...oops I mean Times and Seasons.

The sort of people who defend the Omans and attack the Snarker are the sort of people who are keeping the Church from accomplishing its God given mission. Indeed it is because of the Omans and everyone else who thinks cutting and pasting some article is a REAL blog post that convert baptisms are down and anti-Mormon enimies of truth are on the march.

We are truely in the last days when people like the Omans can call themselves Mormons and humble followers of the Lord like the Snarker must speak the truth in anonymity for fear of reprisal from the wicked and the powerful.

And I think that the Snarker is funny. Really funny, and if you don't think the Snarker is funny this shows how far gone you are in giving in to the ways of the world.

Snarky: I promise that I will never ever ever stalk you, so long as you continue to produce the sort of witty (and let me add daring) posts that you have done here. I can't tell you how outraged I have been at the outrageous behavior of the EVIL people over at T&S (and their wives and husbands -- I mean who would marry someone like THAT). If it wasn't for you there just would be anything in the Bloggernacle worth reading. It is only your supreme courage in sticking it to the powerful that makes it possible for us "little guys" to have a voice.

Keep up the good work! I love, love, love, love, love, love you. You are sooooooooo awesome. I just hope that someday I can be like you. Please, please, please...